My t praising me in any way shape or form tends to send me into a place of resentment and oppositional behavior It's taken me a while to realize that this is because I feel controlled or manipulated when given praise or encouragement from a person I perceive as parental in nature. I don't like it and I don't trust it. . . . That said, I know that I need to work on changing my radical and off kilter reaction to her simple acknowledgement of me succeeding. I KNOW intellectually that my therapist is NOT trying to manipulate or control me. My reaction to her comments are pure transferance.

The same reaction is not present when I receive praise or recognition from co-workers, friends, and/or my boss(s). In those situations I tend to feel encouraged and motivated to continue to perform these feats of excellence! In work situations, I'm good at evaluating my own skills and performance. I know when I've done a good job and when others give me praise or accolades, I consider that icing on the cake. It's taken me a while to recognize and grow curious about my different reactions to praise and encouragement.